Franklin Resources Inc. Has $3.37 Billion Stock Holdings in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL)

Franklin Resources Inc. increased its position in Oracle Co. (NYSE:ORCL - Free Report) by 9.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 20,202,421 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock after purchasing an additional 1,722,037 shares during the quarter. Oracle accounts for 0.9% of Franklin Resources Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 16th largest position. Franklin Resources Inc. owned 0.72% of Oracle worth $3,366,531,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in ORCL. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Oracle by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 157,411,949 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $26,231,127,000 after acquiring an additional 2,296,069 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its holdings in Oracle by 2.7% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 70,441,556 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $12,003,241,000 after purchasing an additional 1,847,561 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Oracle by 2.6% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 35,194,683 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $5,977,015,000 after buying an additional 885,041 shares in the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in Oracle by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 17,995,664 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock worth $2,998,798,000 after acquiring an additional 97,635 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Janus Henderson Group PLC raised its stake in shares of Oracle by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 14,608,951 shares of the enterprise software provider's stock valued at $2,489,345,000 after purchasing an additional 54,868 shares in the last quarter. 42.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Insider Activity

In other Oracle news, CEO Safra Catz sold 2,101,154 shares of Oracle stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $185.35, for a total value of $389,448,893.90. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,118,592 shares in the company, valued at $207,331,027.20. The trade was a 65.26 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 42.20% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Oracle Price Performance

Oracle stock traded up $2.24 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $142.05. The company's stock had a trading volume of 9,511,593 shares, compared to its average volume of 9,010,916. Oracle Co. has a twelve month low of $112.78 and a twelve month high of $198.31. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $163.52 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $170.16. The stock has a market capitalization of $397.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.73, a P/E/G ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.65.

Oracle (NYSE:ORCL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, March 10th. The enterprise software provider reported $1.47 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.49 by ($0.02). Oracle had a return on equity of 133.25% and a net margin of 21.16%. The company had revenue of $14.13 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $14.40 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.41 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts forecast that Oracle Co. will post 5 earnings per share for the current year.

Oracle Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 23rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 10th will be given a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.41%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 10th. This is a boost from Oracle's previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. Oracle's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 46.95%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ORCL has been the topic of several research reports. Barclays dropped their price target on Oracle from $212.00 to $202.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Monness Crespi & Hardt upgraded shares of Oracle from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Guggenheim reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $220.00 price objective on shares of Oracle in a research report on Wednesday, March 5th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of Oracle from $175.00 to $170.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald lowered their target price on Oracle from $214.00 to $175.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $178.65.

Oracle Company Profile

Oracle Corporation offers products and services that address enterprise information technology environments worldwide. Its Oracle cloud software as a service offering include various cloud software applications, including Oracle Fusion cloud enterprise resource planning (ERP), Oracle Fusion cloud enterprise performance management, Oracle Fusion cloud supply chain and manufacturing management, Oracle Fusion cloud human capital management, Oracle Cerner healthcare, Oracle Advertising, and NetSuite applications suite, as well as Oracle Fusion Sales, Service, and Marketing.